Grain-drier



(No MOdel.) '3 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. GREGORY.

GRAIN DRIER. v v

Patented Mar. 20, 1,894.

Iilum 'llfl 1W truss as. In'ven tar (No Modeli) 'J. GREGORY. GRAIN DRIERNo. 516,704. Patented-Mar. 20, 1894.

UNITED STATES ATENT OF ICE.

JOHN GREGORY, OF MARION, OHIO.

GRAIN- DRIER.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 516,704, dated March20, 1894.

Application filed March 9, 1888.

To alt whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN GREGORY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Marion, 1n the county of Marion and State of Ohio, havelnvented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Driers, of whichthe followlng is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

Figure 1, is a side elevation, partly in section. Fig.2 is an endelevation of the head end or receiving end of the machine. Fig. 3, is anelevation of the opposite end. Fig. 4, 1s a. transverse vertical sectionon lineww Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1. Fig. 5,is a detached view of one of the worms. Referring particularly to Figs.3 and 4, A 1s an end plate, preferably of cast metal, and havlng aseries of circular holes arranged preferably in zigzag lines.

. B C, representa series of chambers or shell secured to the outer faceof one of the end plates by means of bolts or set screws; as, forinstance, at ant. Each of these chambers consists substantially of twoparti-cylindrical portions which are open upon their inner faces,abutted against the outer face of the end plate, under such anarrangement that the inner walls of these shells register sub-vstantia-lly with two adjacent holes which are seen in Fig. 4.. Each ofthese shells is by preference provided with a hand hole 0, forconvenience in getting access to the chambers. Each of these shells isfurther provided with an opening as at b, for a purpose which will behereinafter explained. Each of these shells is also provided with abearing or boxing D, which may be formed in two parts as 1s customarywith bearings and has asupport- I ing web or bracket cl. At the oppositeend there is a similar end plate A, with two shells 1 3 C, and these endplates are united by a jacket or casing E, preferably of light boileriron which isat its ends riveted to outward projecting flanges e e,which are formed inte gral with their respective end plates A A. Ipropose to make these end plates of cast iron, but they may be made ofwrought iron or other suitable metal if preferred.

F, is a feed hopper attached to the end plate at thejreceiving end ofthe machine and provided with a bearing D. I j 1 G, is a discharge spoutor hood at the bottom Serial No. 26 6,711. (No model.)

of the same end of the machine, andby preference, the feed hopper anddischarge spout are semi-cylindrical and are arranged to register withthe upper and lower openings respectively, of that end plate.

H, is a conveyer shaft, the journals of which are'mounted in thebearings D, D, the length of the worm I, of the conveyer being such asto enter near to the outer vertical walls of the above mentionedchambers C, D, F, G.

of which, the horizontal arm or plate 0, is

secured to the upper face or wall of the shell E, the vertical arm orplate 0 being attached to one of the vertical walls of the shell.

P P, are horizontal pipe sections connected with the eye ofthe fan, theends of these pipes being connected by pipe sections Q Q, to thethimbles or collars q q, of the openings 6 b, which have been referredto. In practice, I propose to use one of these collars or thimbles foreach of the openings b, b, the collars being provided with ears throughwhich pass setscrews or bolts into the shells or chambers B O,atbothends of the machine.

R R, are a series of tubes or cylinders secured at their ends in theopenings of the end pieces in such manner by screw threads or byriveting as will insure steam tight joints. Thus, there is formed withinthe end plates and the shell or jacket E, a steam tight chamof theconveyers.

In am aware that grain driers have been made with a series ofpractically horizontal tubes mounted at their ends in the vertical wallsof a steam, chamber, with detachable shells orrcaps attached to theouter faces of the steam chamber ends (one for each'conveyer tube) andprovided with bearings for the conveyor shafts; such caps or:shellsbeing cylindrical in cross section, the conveyor ICO- shafts beinghollow and provided with bent pipes connecting the vouter ends of twoadjacent shafts; whereby a continuous air current could pass through theentire series of conveyer shafts. I am also aware that driers have beenmade with the conveyor tubes themselves projecting beyond both ends ofthe steam chamber, with caps surrounding the projecting ends of twoadjacent tubes and supported thereby with bearings for the conveyershafts. In this last referred to construction there is a fan forproducing an air current continuously through the entire series ofconveyor tubes. But in my invention the shells B (J are expandedlaterally between the conveyor tubes and combined with a ser1es of airpipes connected with a fan common to them .all, whereby asingle fan witha number of short pipe sections equal to the number of conveyor tubesmay be made toj draw air currents from both ends of each and every oneof the conveyer tubes except the updrawings the air pipes do not projectbeyond the line of theconveyer shafts at either end of the machine; sothat these shafts and their bearings, as well as the gearing whichdrives the conveyers, practically protect these air pipes from injuryorbeing-disturbed byany thing coming in contact with them Myplan ofconnecting the fan with each of the conveyor tubes by means of theinterposed shells B C, is also advantageous :because of convenience inmaking all of the pipes being located wholly outside of the steamchamber, thus greatly facilitating the manufacture of the machine whileat thesame time it secures the benefit arising from withdrawing fromeach conveyer tube suchvapors as are given oif from the material to bedried. This construction is also preferable to those which employ openended conveyor tubes because the rarefaction of the air by means of theexhaust fan facilitates the giving off of such vapors. So alsomyconstruction of driving devices, to wit, the chain and sprocket wheelsis preferable to a series of cogged gears; because I am thereby enabledto locate the hand holes practically between the conveyers, so as toafiord convenient access to the ends of two adjacent conveyer tubes and1 0 both ends of the shell through a single. opening in each shell.

S, is a steam inlet pipe, and T, is a steam outlet pipe.

U U, are base pieces, each inclosing .or fitting closely to the bottomof the chamber at one end, and V V, are angle irons, the upright arms orshanks of which are riveted to pipe, which, together with the steamoutlet pipe are provided with suitable stop cooks, the temperaturewithin the shell or acket 1s raisedtotherequired point. The grain, meal,or other material to be treated is fed 1nto the hopper E from anelevator or other supply and, the worms of the conveyors being driven inthe direction indicated by arrows,

'Fig. 3, such material is movedal lng WWs'h the upper tube of the seriesJ J and delivered thence through the upper shell or chamber B, O at theopposite .end of the mach ne to the next tube below. The screw of 1 18conveyer has a pitch the reverse of the one above it so that thematerial is moved n an opposite direction, and is by the uppermost ofthe shells B G at thehead OI'IEQOQIVLIIg BQG. delivered to the thirdtube from theitopcf the machine. The conveyor of th s third tube movesthe material to the lopposite end of the machine, where it istransferred to {the next lower tube and so .on through the remainder ofthe series until it is finally (11S- charged at G; as will be readilyunderstood without further explanation. Dur ng this r e he a ria i is eha c er tq a rolling and tumbling action in contact with not oniy theheated metalof theconveyersaor wormsand the tubes, butalso of the heatedstant {circulation of this heated air through the tubes fromtheoutletand, underordiuary circumstances, from the hopper F, iseifecfledby the suction fans whereby the operationof drying the material israpi yandthor ug y effected. y

Of course the joints between the shells B O, F, G, and the end platesmay be packed when desired to prevent leakage although under ordinarycircumstances they can be made sufficiently tight by theordinary methodsof manufacture; and the same is true eoncerning (the thimbles or collarsq, g, at the openings 1) b. Or the collars inlay be east or .otherwisemade integral with the shells or they may be omitted and the pipesections Q, Q, provided with short laterally projecting pipes orT-pieces which may be inserted in the openings 1) b.

While I have described the best construction now known to me forcarrying out my invention, yet I do not wish to be limited to thedetails herein shown; because many modifications will readily suggestthemselves to a skilled mechanic without departing from'the spirit of myinvention.

IIO

What I claim isi 1. In a grain drier, the combination of the heatingchamber provided with a' series of conveyer tubes, the conveyerworrnswithin the tubes, and the shells attached to the ends of the heatingchamber and provided with bearlngs for the conveyer and with openingsfor the air pipes, the air pipes connected with the she11s, and meansfor exhausting the air substantially as set forth. i

2. In a grain drier, the combination of the f heating chamber providedwith a series of conveyer tubes, the conveyer worms within.

the tubes, the shells attached to the ends of the heating chamber, andprovided with bear- 1 5 ings for the conveyers and with openings for theair tubes, the fan, and a series, of air pipes connecting the fan withthe shells, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in 2c presence of twowitnesses.

, .ToHN GREGORY.

Witnesses: I

J. E. DAVIDS, OSCAR TRAVIS.

